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2014 SPECIAL SESSION I


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5107
Commending the Virginia Opera Association, Inc.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, June 12, 2014
Agreed to by the Senate, June 12, 2014

 

WHEREAS, in 2014, the Virginia Opera Association, Inc., celebrates 40 years of delighting audiences, providing exceptional outreach programs, and elevating the opera experience in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, organized in 1974 by founding president Edythe C. Harrison, Virginia Opera began with two productions in the Norfolk Center Theater and expanded to Richmond in 1977; the Richmond Friends of Opera was formed to provide annual productions in the city and a Virginia Opera Richmond office opened in 1983; and

WHEREAS, in 1992, Virginia Opera expanded to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, presenting its first production at the George Mason University Center for the Arts, and in 1994, the General Assembly designated the Virginia Opera as the Official Opera Company of the Commonwealth of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, in 2013, Virginia Opera offered a full season of acclaimed productions at the Edythe C. and Stanley L. Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond CenterStage, the George Mason University Center for the Arts in Fairfax, and the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts in Virginia Beach; and

WHEREAS, highly respected in the industry, Virginia Opera draws many of the nation’s most promising young singers, as well as distinguished directors and opera and theater designers, and maintains a proud tradition of commissioning and co-commissioning new works; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Opera has provided countless opportunities to more than 150,000 students annually through its innovative Education and Community Outreach Program and offers training, performances, and networking to rising stars with the competitive Emerging Artist Program; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Opera will commemorate its anniversary with gala events throughout the year and a 2014 - 2015 performance program featuring the highest levels of artistry and talent; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend the Virginia Opera Association, Inc., on the occasion of its 40th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Russell P. Allen, president and chief executive officer of Virginia Opera Association, Inc., as an expression of the General Assembly’s admiration for the company’s work to promote arts and culture in the Commonwealth.